The Best of the Met Gala – Through the Ages

Ashleigh MacLean

6 years ago

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On the first Monday of May, the important and the influential descend on New York to attend the illustrious Met Gala. It has been this way since 1948, hosted by Eleanor Lambert and then by Anna Wintour, the Met Gala has been a non-moving staple in the fashion calendar for over 70 years. In its 70 year history, this year (2020) is only the second time that the Met Gala will not be going ahead.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Met Gala was postponed ‘indefinitely’ back in March. People speculated that they may just postpone the date but personally, I cannot see Anna Wintour or the Metropolitan Museum deviating from the long-standing tradition of the first Monday in May.

This year’s theme was “About Time: Fashion and Duration.” Andrew Bolton, the curator of the Costume Institute drew inspiration from a 1992 Sally Potter film ‘Orlando’, which was based on a Virginia Woolf novel of the same name. The curated exhibition will celebrate both fashion history and the cyclical nature of the industry and was created with making us think differently about fashion history in mind. The Met Institute says that “The primary work represents the linear nature of fashion and the secondary work its cyclical character. Each pair will be connected through shape, motif, material, pattern, technique, or decoration.”

“It’s a reimagining of fashion history that’s fragmented, discontinuous, and heterogeneous.” – Andrew Bolton

Joining Anna Wintour this year as co-chairs were Nicolas Ghesquière, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Meryl Streep and Emma Stone. I was looking forward to this year’s red carpet, as the theme allows for some remarkable silhouettes and elevated designs, paying homage to fashion history.

As I mentioned in my post about the 2019 Met Gala, I was disappointed with the turnout on the night. Plenty of pretty dresses but few of them meeting the theme Camp: Notes on Fashion‘s, criteria.

Rather than sit and ponder about what might have been, let’s rewind the clocks and take a look at some of my favourite looks from the Met Gala over the years.